


When the Leaves Change

by SebandBlaine



Category: Glee
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:21:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26424055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SebandBlaine/pseuds/SebandBlaine
Summary: Sebastian's family went out of town for the holidays, so Blaine decides to take matters into his own hands and take Sebastian out for a week of Fall-themed fun.
Relationships: Blaine Anderson/Sebastian Smythe
Comments: 9
Kudos: 26





	1. Day One - Lattes and Orchards

"Sebastian, hurry up! We're going to be late," Sebastian could hear Blaine call from downstairs, as if there was a time limit on the plans he had put together for today. He let out a deep sigh, zipping his jacket and pulling his shoes on before walking down the stairs of his parents' house, where he was staying while home for Thanksgiving. 

His parents had, to no one's surprise, left the States the minute the first leaf fell, deciding booking a flight to Fiji to escape the chilly temperatures was more important than spending the holiday with their son... again. Not that he was complaining, of course. He could barely tolerate them during nice weather, he couldn't imagine being stuck in a house with them for days on end. 

"Blaine, it's 7:30 in the morning. We have all day to go explore whatever it is you have planned," Sebastian grumbled with a miserable look on his face after stepping through the threshold to the kitchen, mentally cursing his boyfriend's internal alarm clock. 

He loved Blaine with all his heart, and he'd do anything for him, but he loved sleep too. So when he was told they'd be going out and doing 'all kinds of fun Autumn activities this week,' he knew he'd be in for a lot of early rising, and had made a point to pre-set the coffee pot to have it ready in advance each morning. 

"Maybe, but the more time we spend here, the less time we can spend out there," Blaine pointed out with a raised eyebrow from the barstool he was perched on. 

Sebastian hummed passively in response, pulling a 'World's Best Dad' mug from the cabinet, which in and of itself was ironic, given his circumstances. He set it next to the coffee pot, then began preparing his coffee the way he liked it, which was just a touch of cream and two sugar cubes. In the process, he could hear two sock-covered feet padding up behind him, and the corners of his lips began to tug when his boyfriend's strong arms looped around his waist from behind, the feeling of Blaine’s nose nuzzling between his shoulder blades causing his heartbeat to quicken. 

As annoyingly persistent as Blaine could be, Sebastian knew it would be good for him to take interest in things his boyfriend enjoyed, and Blaine only wanted him to have some company for the holidays since he had never really truly experienced them. 

Before Blaine came back into his life less than a year ago, he'd celebrate holidays like this with takeout and Marvel movies, which Blaine had gasped dramatically in response to when he shared that information. Apparently, that was 'no way to spend the holidays,' though Sebastian never had an issue with it. Nonetheless, he'd agreed to let Blaine give him the full holiday experience this year, and it was only the first full day of their week-long Thanksgiving vacation. 

"So," Sebastian started, dropping the spoon against the side of his mug before grabbing onto the handle, turning in Blaine's arms to face him, "What did you have planned for today, Killer?" He asked, one arm looping around Blaine's neck as the other hand brought the coffee to his lips. 

He could see Blaine's eyes light up immediately, and he remembered why he loved those big, honey brown eyes so much. He could always tell what his boyfriend was feeling - and in this case, it was excitement. "Well, first... we're going to Starbucks because you can't start an Autumn day without a PSL." 

Sebastian raised an eyebrow in response, letting out a soft laugh before responding, "Blaine, those fancy coffees are pure calories, and not all of us have your magical metabolism, besides, I've already got mine," He said as he lifted his mug to draw attention to it, though he could see the shine in Blaine's eyes fade a little. He couldn't have that. 

"Okay, okay. How about this, we get a big one and share it? What does PSL stand for anyway?" He asked, mentally going through every hipster Frappuccino he could think of. It had to be one of those, right? He was slightly put off by the offended look on Blaine's face, and shrugged in response, "I'm sure I've heard of it! I'm not familiar with these abbreviations," He defended, his signature smirk forming on his lips. 

"A pumpkin spice latte, you dork. You'd have to have been living under a rock for the last few years if you don't know what that is," Blaine huffed, pulling his arms from Sebastian's waist in favor of moving to grab a plain black mug from the cabinet, the smell of the freshly brewed caffeine almost too tempting to resist. 

Sebastian shook his head and couldn't help but laugh at Blaine's dramatics, his eyes following the shorter boy to the cabinet, "Okay, yes... I know what a pumpkin spice latte is, but I've never heard of someone referring to it as a PSL," He said, rolling his eyes fondly at his boyfriend before taking a few more big swallows from the mug, polishing off the rest of his coffee. 

He sidestepped around Blaine and turned the sink on, giving the cup a quick wash with soap and a sponge. "Anyway, you never finished telling me what else it is we're doing today, and I doubt it's just going for trendy coffee," He said, and he could instantly see Blaine was excited again when he glanced back over his shoulder. 

"After Starbucks, we're going to an orchard that's about 45 minutes away! They grow apples, pears, pumpkins... all of that kind of thing for the fall months, and it's really pretty this time of year," Blaine explained, now periodically nursing a mug of black coffee. 

Sebastian hummed in response, not sure what the appeal could be of going to look at plants for hours, but he didn't have the heart to discourage Blaine. He was sure the puppy eyes would be the death of him one day. "Alright, well... when you're done with that, we'll get on the road to go watch the plants grow… which is arguably just a more seasonal version of watching paint dry," He teased, to which Blaine rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out. 

He set the mug in the drying rack and quickly wiped the sink down with the sponge before rinsing it and putting it back in the holder. "Alright, Killer. I'll warm the car up, just lock the door when you come outside," He said, moving in and pressing a kiss to his boyfriend's cheek, who hummed and nodded around a mouthful of coffee.

Sebastian walked down the hall and grabbed his wallet and keys off a table next to the front door, shoving them down into his pockets alongside his phone. He unlocked the deadbolt and stepped out, taking a deep breath of the crisp, Autumn air as he pulled the door closed behind him. Nope, still didn't get the appeal, but maybe he would before this week was over. He could at least pretend to, for Blaine's sake. 

Pushing the thought aside for now, he walked down the path to the driveway, where his black Wrangler was parked next to Blaine's Volvo. That car had lasted years, and he remembered when Blaine got it for his 16th birthday and how excited he was to have his own car, to the point he insisted on driving everyone anytime they all went out together, despite it being as old as it was. It was kind of endearing, but Sebastian wasn't the biggest fan of riding a long distance in a car that could potentially breakdown anywhere from Westerville to wherever it was they were going. He had a built-in GPS anyway, so that made it easier to navigate while driving. 

He unlocked the doors and climbed in, pushing the button to start the engine before getting the warm air going at the perfect temperature to counteract how nippy it was outside, then buckling his seatbelt as he waited patiently for Blaine to emerge. 

It took a few minutes longer than Sebastian expected, and he had almost gone back in to check on Blaine, but within a few more seconds, the shorter boy was running down the path with his tennis shoes, jacket and beanie on. Sebastian waited for him to get in before smirking over at him with a raised eyebrow. "Blaine, hurry up. We're going to be late, God!" He exclaimed overdramatically. 

Blaine glared in his direction, quickly buckling up before putting his hands out in front of the vents to warm them up. "Shut up, Seb," He muttered, though the smile that was tugging at the corner of his lips was a dead giveaway he was only joking.

* * *

After a ten-minute drive full of singing along to Christmas music, that Blaine had insisted upon, and a wait in line at the Starbucks drive-through, Sebastian was pulling into one of the few empty parking spaces left in the lot. He had a venti paper cup with a white lid grasped in his left hand and a couple of breakfast sandwiches on his lap, and a chai latte in the cupholder just in case. 

He moved his right hand down to shift the car into park, the smell of pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg wafting through the car, and it didn’t smell half as bad as he thought it might. "I can see myself being able to tolerate this… we might be jogging home later though," He huffed out playfully, watching the steam pour out of the small opening of the cup for a moment. 

Blaine, of course, was videoing this whole thing on his phone with a grin on his face, because it seemed he liked to document every new experience they shared, even if it was just a new coffee flavor. Sebastian found it adorable, he really did. 

"Try it! You're going to love it, I promise," Blaine said, an excited look on his face as he stared at his boyfriend on the screen of his phone. 

Sebastian wrinkled his nose up at the thought of how much sugar must be in here but threw his caution to the wind, raising the cup to his lips and sipping from it. It was actually really fucking good, but it was incredibly sweet. Far sweeter than he normally took his coffee. 

He raised his eyebrows at Blaine and swished the warm liquid around his mouth for a moment before swallowing, handing the cup over. He couldn’t let on how good he really thought it was, because he knew he’d never hear the end of that. 

"That’s good, yeah. An extreme amount of sugar, maybe… but still," Sebastian said, offering Blaine a small smile as he handed over one of the sandwiches. 

Blaine grinned victoriously, turning the recording off and shoving his phone down into his pocket, then taking the cup and sandwich with a smile on his face. "I'm not normally big on lots of sugar either, but when I tried one of these for the first time, I fell in love with it," He said, a thoughtful look on his face for a moment or two, before shrugging it off and sipping the latte. 

Sebastian smiled over at the other boy, reaching over to get a little bit of the whipped cream off his lower lip with a napkin. "Mmhmm, it does have a certain feel about it, I guess," He said, pushing the napkin down into a small, lined car trash can as his eyes glued to the screen on his dashboard while Blaine reached out to input the address he had pulled up on his phone. 

He shifted the car into reverse and smiled to himself when Blaine let out an excited noise before resuming the Christmas music as they drove towards their destination. This whole experience would be worth it, just for seeing Blaine this happy alone.

* * *

It was a relatively short drive, some mild traffic along the way which allowed them to nibble away at their sandwiches, Sebastian even sneaking a few more sips of the pumpkin spice latte between sips from his chai. 

He could see Blaine getting a little antsy out of the corner of his eye each time they'd get stuck in any amount of traffic, and they arrived about 10 minutes later than they thought they would, but thankfully Blaine didn't seem too bothered by it. 

Sebastian got unbuckled and turned the car off once it was parked, then climbed out and stretched as he pushed the driver's door closed with one hand, which was echoed by the sound of the passenger door closing soon after. 

It was pretty, Sebastian could give it that. The trees seemed to go on forever, creating a sea of reds, yellows, and oranges, that was only broken by some adults taking their kids through rows of pumpkins to the right, no doubt looking for one suitable enough to use for Thanksgiving, and a small cornfield to the left. 

He was sure that was part of the reason they were here too. Blaine had been not-so-subtly dropping hints about cooking a Thanksgiving dinner together, and Sebastian wasn't going to complain about it. Blaine was a really good cook when he put his mind to it. 

He was pulled from his thoughts when he heard a camera go off, his attention turning to Blaine who was not-so-subtly taking a picture of him. "This one turned out good! The trees are in the background," Blaine said, moving to stand next to Sebastian before turning his phone so he could look it over. Blaine had a gift for photography, it was one of the many talents that Sebastian loved to praise him for. 

"That's beautiful, B. What if we took one together, though?" He offered, turning his attention to his boyfriend's lips. Those always seemed to be his focal point when they were this close, he couldn't help himself. He leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to Blaine's lips, who had been in the middle of agreeing with him regarding taking a picture together. He laughed into the kiss at the "hmph" that Blaine emitted when he was cut off, followed by the sound of the camera going off, then pulled away and smiled down at his boyfriend as he slid an arm around his shoulders. 

"Let's go explore a little, then we'll take as many pictures together as you want," He said, letting himself fall into the spirit a little. He could tell this meant a lot to Blaine. 

Besides, this seemed to be more entertaining than watching trees grow like he originally thought. There were apple-related games scattered around the orchard, as well as wooden kegs with "Cider" written along the side, a corn maze. He could get into this, and quickly found himself falling into step with Blaine as he laced their fingers together on the hand that was dangling over his shoulder. 

"So, where should we go first? Apple trees or pumpkins?" He asked, turning his attention back to the other, who looked around with a thoughtful look on his face. "Let's go look at the pumpkins first, I don't want all the good ones to get taken," He decided. They walked alongside each other over to the pumpkin patch, and almost instantly Blaine was looking over pumpkins, occasionally knocking on a few with his ear pressed to the side. 

Sebastian was sure that made no difference, but he watched with an amused smile for a second or two before pulling his phone out and snapping a picture, looking over it to make sure it turned out okay. Blaine was incredibly photogenic, and virtually any picture of him, besides a deliberately silly one, was magazine-worthy. 

"Too bad Halloween has passed already, we could have turned the outside into a Jack-o-Lantern," He said, setting the picture as his lock screen background before pocketing his phone again. 

Blaine glanced up at Sebastian and smiled, holding a relatively small pumpkin in his arms that he had chosen while Sebastian was focused on his phone, but it seemed to be big enough for a pie for two people. "We could have! Maybe we could carve a turkey into this one, or something festive like that. I don't want it to go to waste," He said, walking over to a worker to pay for it. 

"I'm sure we could manage that," Sebastian added, a fond smile on his face as he followed Blaine with his hands down in his pockets. Once it was paid for, Sebastian took him back to his car to drop it off so their hands could be free for other things. "So, PSL, check. Pumpkin, check. Next, we should go try the apple cider. I can smell it all the way up here," He said after closing the trunk and locking the car again before extending his hand out for his boyfriend, who eagerly took it and laced their fingers together. 

It was only a short walk, Blaine skipping alongside him with a few curls bouncing that were peeking out from under his beanie. "So, after this, maybe a walk through the orchard?" Blaine asked, the two of them stopping behind a few people who were in line, a hopeful glint in his eye that never ceased to make Sebastian's heart skip a beat. 

"A walk through the orchard sounds lovely, I really like all the colors. I'm starting to see why people get so into the season," He said, giving Blaine's hand a gentle squeeze. 

Blaine nodded and stepped forward in line when the guy in front of them moved up. "There are more involved things starting tomorrow, but this seemed like the best introduction to your first official Thanksgiving. My mom used to bring me here every year to pick out a pumpkin for Thanksgiving dinner," He said, smiling to himself at the memory. 

Sebastian suddenly remembered this was something people did with their families, and that seemed so foreign to him. His parents cared, sure, but they weren't as involved as other parents were by a long shot. "That was nice of her to do. What kinds of traditions did you guys get up to?" He asked as he stepped forward and ordered two spiced ciders, handing over some cash and telling the woman to keep the change. 

Blaine crossed one arm over his chest, bringing his index finger up with one hand to tap his chin as he thought it over. "I guess another big one for Thanksgiving was always the turkey wishbone. Cooper used to accuse me of cheating all the time because I learned the secret to winning," He laughed, thanking the woman before taking the small to-go cup from her, Sebastian doing the same. 

"Secret to winning, huh? What would that be?" Sebastian asked, stepping aside and leading Blaine towards the trees. 

Blaine sipped the warm cider and hummed happily at the taste, linking his free arm through Sebastian's, who's hand was buried down into his pocket. "If I told you, it wouldn't be a secret! Though, I guess my wish came true when you asked me out, so I guess I could share my success. You push your thumb against the part that sticks up at the top, it keeps your side from breaking," He explained, laughing at the memory of all the times Cooper would get frustrated from losing. 

Sebastian shuddered and laughed softly to himself after swallowing the mouthful of cider he had. "Well, that's... brutal, but oddly adorable," He said, walking alongside the shorter boy as they walked down toward the orchard. "I never expected you to be so ruthless, I can't say I'm not impressed though," He smirked, turning his attention down to Blaine.

Blaine smiled proudly, glancing up at Sebastian and tilting his head a little. “Well, this year we’ll do it together. Hope you can get to it before I can!” He exclaimed, fully aware he was going to let Sebastian win. It was his first time truly celebrating, and Blaine didn’t want to take away from the experience.

"Alright, I’ll play. Ya know, this holiday stuff isn't sounding half bad. I can't wait to see what else you have in store," Sebastian said, pulling his hand from his pocket with a sharpie in tow as they walked between two rows of trees. He bit the lid and pulled it off, writing his name on the side of his cup and drawing half a heart below it before repeating the process with Blaine's. He put the lid back on the marker and slid it back down in his pocket again, then carefully laced their fingers together on his newly freed hand. 

Blaine relaxed when he realized what was happening, aimlessly following alongside Sebastian as he leaned over and tilted the side of his cup against the other to complete the heart. "I love you," He said in a soft voice, the corners of his lips turned up in a relaxed smile as he took his phone out and took a quick picture. “Looks like you’re getting into the holiday spirit after all, this is incredibly Instagram worthy,” He teased. 

Sebastian huffed playfully and paused, looking out and admiring the miles of trees in front of them. "I love you too, B. I’m getting there, you’re definitely helping though," He said, pressing a kiss to his boyfriend's curls before leaning the side of his head against the top of Blaine's as they continued down the path ahead. The more he thought about it, the more he was realizing he could stand to make this a yearly thing with Blaine. It definitely beat sitting at home with cheap Chinese food and action movies.


	2. Day Two - Candles and Horseback

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Blaine takes Sebastian horseback riding, and Sebastian is terrified. But at least they have a year’s worth of fall-scented candles.

Sebastian’s eyes cracked open when the sunlight poured in through the window of his bedroom and hit him in the face, the feeling of a naked Blaine pressed against his side with an arm sprawled out across his chest and a leg hooked over his waist bringing a smile to his face. 

Yesterday had been such an amazing day, all things considered. After they had gotten back from the orchard, they’d taken a shower together to warm up before spending the rest of the day in bed, talking about anything and everything while Jim Carrey’s rendition of the Grinch played in the background, even if neither were paying attention to it.

He sucked in a deep breath through his nose as the events of the last 24 hours replayed in his head, sliding an arm around the other, who just moved closer and mumbled something about needing to take the dog out, which caused Sebastian to chuckle because, well… they didn’t have a dog. 

It was rare he woke up before Blaine, but whenever he did he always made sure to enjoy it. The way his lips parted in his sleep, the way the sun illuminated his lightly tanned skin, the way his disheveled curls draped down in front of his eyes, the soft snores that poured from his lips every few seconds. Blaine was a work of art even when he wasn’t gelled and put together, and anyone with eyes could see that. Sebastian was just the lucky one that got to call him his boyfriend.

He laid there for a while, carefully running his finger tips up and down Blaine’s bare back whilst looking at news articles on his phone to pass the time, since he didn’t have the heart to risk waking Blaine up from such a peaceful sleep by getting up. There wasn’t anything interesting except for a few weather updates and information about where to drop food off for a local food drive, which he made a point to make a mental note of. He tried to do that every year because, even if he didn’t show it often or even let people see that side of him, he did have a big heart.

Blaine had woken up several minutes prior, but he was far too content with just laying there, wrapped around Sebastian like a koala while enjoying the backrub he was receiving. The only difference was the soft snores had stopped, so Sebastian hadn’t even noticed he had woken up already. After a few more moments, He cracked his eyes open and stretched his legs, turning his head to nuzzle into Sebastian’s shoulder to muffle the already soft yawn that clawed its way out of his throat. 

Sebastian glanced down when he felt Blaine stirring against his side, smiling fondly as he turned the screen of his phone off and blindly set it aside on the side table. “Good morning, sleepy head,” He said, moving in and pressing a lingering kiss to Blaine’s forehead, who instantly responded by leaning into it with a soft, content sound. “How’d you sleep?”

“Mornin’, Seb,” Blaine mumbled out in his half asleep state, slowly bringing himself to open his eyes to look up into Sebastian’s eyes. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he turned his torso just enough to stretch his lower back muscles. “I slept okay. Dreamt about a dog, and pancakes… so, I’m making cinnamon apple pancakes for breakfast,” He murmured, though he didn’t move to get up yet and instead rolled onto his back, stretching his arms and legs. “Today is more involved, like I mentioned. We’re gonna go to the Yankee Candle store and pick out some fall scented candles, then we’re going to take my dad’s horses out. They’re in a stable near Columbus, and they have pretty trails this time of year,” He murmured through a yawn, then moved closer and slid an arm around Sebastian's waist. 

Sebastian could admit, horseback riding sounded fun - especially when Blaine talked about it in that gravelly voice he got when he was freshly awake. It wasn’t something he’d really ever done before, because his dad had no interest in keeping animals whatsoever. “I can get behind that. You’ll have to teach me how to do it though, because I’ve never even been near a horse before, much less ridden one.”

Blaine nodded and let out a soft laugh at the thought of Sebastian struggling with the saddle, glancing up at the other, “I can do that! I used to play polo, remember? If anyone can teach you the ropes, it’s me,” He said proudly, moving to slide out of bed. 

Sebastian shamelessly let his eyes wander his boyfriend’s body, who was pulling on a pair of boxers to go downstairs in. Not that he needed to of course, but it would prevent their morning from getting off track, that was for sure. He let out a soft wolf whistle, putting his hands behind his head with a smirk on his face. “You know, I still think seeing you naked was worth all those years of waiting.” 

Blaine laughed and threw a shirt at Sebastian’s face, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. “Hush,” He muttered, though the pink tint on his cheeks was enough to tell Sebastian he still had it after all this time. Blaine turned and started down the stairs, the smile not once leaving his face. After years of feeling like he just existed in Kurt’s world, it felt nice to feel like he was the center of Sebastian’s.

Sebastian stood and rolled his eyes fondly, pulling on a pair of sweatpants before starting downstairs after Blaine. Once they were both in the kitchen, Sebastian slid onto one of the barstools, placing his feet on the cross beams and crossing his arms on the counter top of the island as he watched Blaine glide over to the stereo and put on some music. 

Watching Blaine dance around the kitchen while he cooked was mesmerizing. Blaine was a gifted dancer, and it was times like these Sebastian was reminded how lucky he was to have gotten someone this talented, and this destined for greatness to agree to being with him. His eyes locked on Blaine’s hips as they moved, letting out a soft laugh after a few moments of staring. “You know, I can’t say we’re going to make it out to the stables on time if you keep moving like that,” He said, raising an eyebrow in the other’s direction.

Blaine glanced back with a cocky smirk on his face, one he had started mirroring from Sebastian over the months they’d been together. “What ever could you mean?” He asked in an innocent tone, that just caused Sebastian to huff out, “You know exactly what you’re doing, B.” before standing up and walking to the cabinet, pulling two mugs down, then starting to pour coffee into each one. 

Blaine winked in Sebastian’s direction. “I’m just saying, we have might have some extra time this morning if we eat fast enough? After breakfast, we could always go take a _hot_ shower together?” He suggested, emphasizing the ‘hot’. Of course that caught his boyfriend’s attention, and Blaine loved how good it felt to be wanted by someone. 

Sebastian moved his eyes down Blaine’s body and nodded, sliding a mug of black coffee down the counter with a smirk slowly forming on his lips as he raised his mug to his lips before pausing. “I think we can work that in, killer,” he said, taking a sip from the mug before moving back onto the stool he had previously sat on.

* * *

The rest of their morning had gone smoothly. They’d made and eaten pancakes together, further discussed their day, and topped it off with a quickie in the shower. Now, they were both dressed in warm clothing to combat the temperatures that were set to drop further today. Each in beanies, gloves, fleece-lined jackets, sweaters, jeans, and shoes covering thick, woolen socks. Blaine had decided beforehand they were going to coordinate outfits because 'that's what couples do,' but Sebastian didn't mind it. He could tolerate being an obnoxious couple if it meant keeping Blaine happy.

When they arrived inside the mall, Blaine pulled Sebastian into the Yankee Candle store, eyes wide and glistening as he looked around at all the different colors and options. They already had a Christmas section up, which just blew Sebastian’s mind. Why did places start putting stuff out for Christmas this early? Thanksgiving hadn’t even passed yet. He was pulled from his thoughts when he was suddenly jerked over to a Thanksgiving display that was lined with all different kinds of candles. How many variations of pumpkin does one place need? Whipped Pumpkin - whatever that meant, Apple Pumpkin, Toasted Pumpkin, Spiced Pumpkin. It was enough to make his head hurt, and there was no way these smelled _that_ different. 

Blaine dropped Sebastian’s hand and moved in, picking one up that was titled ‘Fallen Leaves’. It sounded interesting enough, so he opened the lid and inhaled the scent before perking up. “Oh, Seb, smell this one…” he said, holding the candle up to his boyfriend’s nose, who leaned in and smelled it. “Oh, yeah, smells good, B,” Sebastian said with a small smile, hoping that answer would be enough to get him off the hook.

Blaine nodded and put the lid back on, placing the candle in Sebastian’s hand. “Cool, hold that,” He said, winking up at the other before continuing to look through all of the different options. Sebastian raised his eyebrows and groaned softly. Great, he was a glorified shopping cart now. He couldn't help but wonder if this was why Blaine picked today of all days to come candle shopping.

The next half hour was spent with Blaine smelling candles before making him smell them, then loading them up into his arms, and he was right… the pumpkin ones all smelled the same, but maybe his nose was just untrained. Who knows. All of that was well and good, but as time passed, his arms were becoming full of candles, and he was struggling to hold onto them all. “Blaine,” Sebastian breathed out, a slightly annoyed look on his face. “Look, sweetheart… I love how passionate you are about these... candles, but… maybe this is enough? Like, you’ve got enough here to last you a whole year, and I only have so much arm room,” He said, trying to maintain a soft tone despite everything. He wasn’t one to get angry or frustrated easily, at least never at Blaine. 

Blaine hummed and looked back after a moment, raising his eyebrows. He had somewhat lost count of all the candles he had piled into his boyfriend’s arms, and when he noticed, he jumped to take some. “Oh my gosh, Seb… I’m so sorry,” He laughed, shaking his head. “Yeah, this is enough. Oops.” He got the candles sorted in his arms, glancing back at the display once more before nodding. “I don’t see anymore that appeal to me anyway,” he chirped, and took note of how Sebastian instantly relaxed and smiled in his direction. 

Blaine wasn’t sure if it was the promise of no more smelling candles, or the lack of being loaded up anymore, but he counted it as a victory either way. He led the other up to the counter, quickly paying for everything before Sebastian could when he noticed him reaching for his wallet.

Sebastian, of course, tried to protest, but Blaine wasn’t one to let him just fork out money, and in a way he loved that about him, but it made treating him to things difficult. Regardless, he put his hands up with a soft laugh before placing his debit card back in his wallet, then pocketing it again. “Okay, so now that you’ve sufficiently purchased enough candles to get you through an apocalypse, horse time?” He asked, trying to disguise the nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach as he took a couple of the bags from the cashier, thanking her and wishing her a happy holiday. Horseback riding did sound fun, don’t get him wrong. But a quick Google search on the way had told him that 100 people a year die from horseback riding related accidents, and while that was a small number in the grand scheme of things, it was 100 more than he would have liked. 

Blaine nodded and grinned up at Sebastian, pressing a kiss to his cheek - which earned an ‘aww’ from the staff - before grabbing the remaining bags. “Horse time,” He confirmed, leading Sebastian towards the exit of the mall with a spring in his step.

* * *

Blaine had called ahead on the way to have the staff get the horses ready to be taken out, which saved them time when they got there. He had grown up around these horses, and he knew all about saddling and preparation for a ride, but this saved him a ton of time and explanation. Besides, he could tell Sebastian was getting more and more nervous as they drew closer, even if he was trying to hide it, so he didn’t think dragging it out was the best avenue to take. At least not this time.

When they arrived, Blaine got out of the car and smiled when he saw his father’s two Australian Stock Horses, Audrey and Hepburn, saddled up and ready to go. He pushed the door closed to his Volvo, then walked around and pulled the passenger door open for Sebastian, who looked like he was having a mini panic attack. “Hey, you okay?” He asked, a concerned look forming on his face almost instantly.

Sebastian nodded, glancing up at Blaine and laughing softly. “Yeah, I’m fine, it's just… they’re huge,” He said, glancing over at the horses out of the corner of his eye before taking a deep breath, releasing the death grip he had on the arm-rest. He slowly slid out of the car, pushing the door closed behind himself. 

Blaine raised his eyebrows, stepping closer and sliding his arms around Sebastian’s waist. “Hey, you know… if you’re scared, we can just skip this? I know they’re intimidating. Or, if it would help, we could just share a horse? You can hold onto me like a damsel in distress, and I could be your knight in shining armor, ya know, like the movies?” He laughed softly, giving Sebastian’s waist a gentle squeeze. 

Sebastian rolled his eyes, sliding his arms around Blaine’s neck. He loved their dynamic, and how easy it was for them to take care of each other when the other needed it. “I’ll at least try to get on, but if that doesn’t work out, I wouldn’t mind letting you take the reins.” He winked playfully, leaning down and pressing their lips together. Kissing Blaine never got old. It always felt like their lips were made for each other in a way he hadn’t ever experienced before with anyone else. He pulled back after a few beats, gently bumping their noses together with a small smile. 

Blaine sighed happily and nodded, pressing one more kiss to the corner of Sebastian’s lips before slowly pulling back, lacing their fingers together. “I’ll be there the whole time, so if you want to stop at any point, we will,” He reassured, giving the other’s hand a careful squeeze before leading him over to the hitching post. He paused and looked around for a moment before grabbing a stool and pulling it over, setting it next to Audrey since she was the most even-tempered of the two. “So… you’re going to step into the stirrup with your right foot first, then swing your left leg over, okay?” He informed with a reassuring smile. “Just make sure you do it in one even, steady go because they spook easily,” He explained. 

Sebastian took a deep breath and nodded, his hands already shaking no matter how hard he tried to make them stop. This was almost embarrassing, because not many things scared him, but this horse could cause a lot of damage, and a hoof print on the face was definitely not cute. “Okay, got it…” He trailed off, relaxing a little as Blaine placed his hands on his hips. He stepped onto the stool and took one more deep breath, pausing for a moment with a tight hold on the saddle to calm himself. He then placed his right foot in the stirrup and boosted himself up, swinging his left leg over. He tensed a little and squeezed his eyes closed, gripping the saddle tightly in both hands when Audrey moved a little, but slowly relaxed despite how hard he was breathing when he realized he wasn’t dead yet. He peeked an eye open and laughed nervously, placing his left foot in the other stirrup. “Okay, um… what now?” He asked, almost afraid to move.

Blaine smiled proudly up at Sebastian, lightly patting his thigh. “Well, now you just hold onto the reins and take a minute to get comfortable before I unhitch her. She’s really sweet, I promise. Just stay calm and everything will be fine,” He reassured, tilting his head slightly as he watched Sebastian grab onto the reins. “If you need to put the reins down for any reason at all, just wrap them around this,” He started, placing his hand on the horn of the saddle towards the front, “because you definitely don’t want those falling into a place you can’t reach them.” He explained with a nod. 

Sebastian listened closely and nodded once, letting out a soft laugh as he glanced down at Blaine. “Okay, well… this isn’t so bad, but I’ll stick to lacrosse, I think,” He breathed out, which earned a chuckle from Blaine. It took a few moments, but when he was finally relaxed enough, he nodded to the other. “I’m good now I think, you can… unhitch her,” He said, glancing over at Hepburn for a second before turning his attention back to Audrey.

Blaine nodded, moving to untie the rope from the hitching post. “It’s just like driving a car, but this car has a heartbeat,” He reassured, then walked over to Hepburn and unhitched her, following the steps to climb on. Once he was settled on the horse, he glanced over at Sebastian. “Just tiny corrections if you need to, but she should just follow Hepburn. Ready, babe?” He asked, keeping a tight hold on the reins as Sebastian nodded, a lot more relaxed but he still looked slightly tense. “I’ll be sure to give you a massage later to help you calm down, because your knuckles are whiter than you are,” He teased. 

Sebastian scoffed and laughed, shaking his head as he glanced over at Blaine. “Okay, well… this car has a mind of its own, so excuse me for being a little nervous,” He muttered. 

Blaine grinned back at the other and nodded. “You’ll be okay, Seb, I promise. We just got each other, I’m not going to lose you now,” He promised, starting Hepburn off towards one of the trails, and Audrey followed almost immediately. With that, they spent the rest of their afternoon going down paths lined with red and yellow colored leaves, Sebastian slowly settling further into the idea of fully embracing and enjoying the season.


End file.
